I really like the "What works?" thread. But are there things that people tried that didn't work for them? And if so, why not? (Did the new treadmill gather dust in the basement? Was WW just not the way to go? Did cutting carbs drastically increase cravings?)

Personally, although I've read over and over about the benefits of green tea, and I've tried to drink it and stick with it... ...I'm just never going to, because I hate the way green tea tastes, even in Clif bars!

Fri. Dec 22, 7:15am

Any fads

Any fad diets to me don't work.
Anything that restricts what you can eat by saying you CANNOT eat this or that wont work.
Anything that doesn't incorporate healthy excercise wont work.
Anything that is looked at as a temprorary solution to a problem wont work, this needs to be your new healthy lifestyle not a solution to a short term weight problem.

Friday, December 22, 2006, 7:47 AM

For me,
If I pack my lunch and take my supplements, I stick to my diet. I usually lose, even if it's just a little bit. I
f I end up going to a lot of parties (like holiday seasons) and get so busy that I can't goto the gym, it doesn't work.
If anything changes my schedule at work, it affects my diet.
Any problems at home, stressors - someone in the family is sick (even just a cold), frustration over money, major purchases - my diet quits working.

Basically what works for me is to be as routine as I possibly can.

Friday, December 22, 2006, 8:32 AM

The wrong motivation

I'm sure it works for a lot of people, but losing weight for a man, a better social life, or to get into a certain outfit has never really cut it for me. I had to make a decision about my health independent of the visual benefits before the weight finally started coming off.

Friday, December 22, 2006, 9:07 AM

Cutting calories without building muscle isn't a good idea. You will lose weight cutting calories alone, but unless muscle is being built, your metabolism will go down. I've heard that when you lose weight, about 75% is water and fat and about 25% is muscle...unless you do muscle building exercises.

I finally stopped depriving myself of my favorite foods. As soon as I give myself a list of "no-no" foods, the more I want to binge on those because I feel deprived. It's best to allow yourself to eat the foods you love, but in smaller portions.

Low-carb diets are a really bad idea (even though I was a huge supporter of them a few years ago). Can you really give up all sugar/bread/pasta/and potatoes for the rest of your life? Then, when you start to eat those foods again, your body holds on to them for "survival". I have lost 15 lbs. doing Atkins and a friend of mine lost 60 lbs. doing Atkins...3 years later, she is almost at her heaviest. It works, but is not a long-term solution.

I've found that eating 5-6x per day, counting calories, and working out is the best plan for me!...also, having this support group really helps!

Friday, December 22, 2006, 10:06 AM

What doesn't work for me....

1. Not tracking my food. I no longer count calories and haven't had many problems maintaining, but I have to monitor what goes in. If I don't, it's too easy to slide into high-cal convenience foods or to let those little treats add up.

2. Not exercising - I can eat more food than I ever thought I'd be able to as long as I keep up my 5x a week gym habit. I initially had to force myself to do it, now I feel sluggish and just 'bleh' if I don't. The previous poster really hit it on the head when she said you have to make exercise a priority and fit everything else around it. If you don't, it's going to be hard not to resent the time and occasional inconvenience that it takes to make it a regular occurance.

3. Not getting my 5 a day (and sometimes more). Fruits and especially veggies give you a lot of fiber, nutrients and bulk with low caloric consequences. Without them I feel unbalanced and sluggish and just feel generally 'heavy' (mentally as well as physically) in a 'I feel too lethargic to move', not 'I feel fat' way. Hope that made sense...

4. Too many refined carbs don't work for me. They don't fill me up and I really hate the sugar-high/crash that happens when I eat too many of them. Especially at lunch - ugh! A sandwich and chips just makes the afternoon hell because I long to curl up under my desk and sleep by mid-afternoon. I really check out the fiber content of any grain products I buy and make sure it's as high as I can find. So long as my carbs are also high in fiber I can keep going with great energy levels.

5. Soda (diet or regular) just doesn't work for me - too much of it that is. I can have some here or there, but I tend to eat salty, sugary, fatty foods with it, so I have really had to cut back. I used to drink 6 20-oz bottles of diet coke a day so this has been a very big change! I really had to get to like water again.

6. TV doesn't work for me. I tend to sit in front of it too often and for too long when I do and I also tend to eat when I do. I no longer have one and am a much more active, social and happy indivual. I have had to get out and develop some pastimes and I have found some that are physical, stimulating and fun - I daresay this has been the change that has really enabled me to keep it off. My life is so much more enjoyable now because it is full of friends and activities where before I was always 'too tired' and it was so much easier to just sit in front of the TV and let myself be lulled into passivity. TV just doesn't fit into my 'new and improved' actived lifestyle.

7. Thinking of the changes I've made as temporary. I live a healthy life now and I will never go back to the way I used to eat or live. Initially I was depressed, angry and in denial about this, but it certainly didn't work before I lost weight, why should I think it'd be ok a second time? Now, the thought of eating the way I used to and feeling the way I used is repulsive, but getting to this point has been part of the journey.

So that's pretty much all the things that don't work for me. Good idea for a thread - I've really enjoyed reading the responses :-)

Friday, December 22, 2006, 10:55 AM

if your someone who finds success with counting calories-DON'T suddenly think you can do it without counting! i made the mistake of thinking i could just estimate what i was eating without counting calories once i saw a 10 lbs come off, and i ended up gaining a few pounds back. i hadn't conquered my eating issues, the calorie counting just masked it for awhile. If you want to stop counting calories-make sure you have portion sizes down pat-check yourself once in a while. i find that 1 cup of cereal for me is equal to two big handfuls-just in case i'm over reaching my hand-every couple of weeks i grab a measuring cup and check the amount in my bowl. so far i've been right on! progress!

DON'T rationalize not working out. it's easy to say- i've had a bad day-i deserve to stay in and watch tv instead of going to the gym. or, i don't have the energy to work out, i'll go tomorrow. it's really easy to turn that type of thought into a week long, or longer!! hiatus from exercise. if you've had a bad day or you are tired, exercise will help!! instead, tell yourself you just have to workout for 10 minutes. if after 10 minutes you can't bear it-go home and pat yourself on the back for going at all. if you feel better after 10 minutes-great!! keep going!!

once you've reached your goal weight, DON'T put away that scale!!!!!!!! i'm not a fan of weighing yourslelf everyday, but fequent weighing in will really help the weight from creeping back on. it's normal to see a couple of pounds of fluctuation. i range between 138-142 on any given day . . .i don't worry unless i see 145-then i KNOW i'm gaining weight. if i see 142 one day, odds are i'll see 139 the next-i probably had too much sodium, or ate a big meal the night before.

DON'T beat yourself up for relapses, mistakes, indulgences. You are human and in order to succeed you have to encourage yourself!!! Get up and try again-immediately!! not tomorrow, not monday! next meal instead!!!

good luck!!!!

Friday, December 22, 2006, 2:59 PM

Really good advice from the previous posters - thanks! I guess I'd just reinforce it. Things that haven't worked for me in the past.

1) stopping recording my food intake. When i stopped recording, slowly but surely the weight went on. Now I'm back to recording my food on a daily basis - it's great.
2) going it alone. The support I have here is wonderful and makes all the difference
3) stopping exercise - it led to weight gain. I now make exercise a number one priority in my day
4) not weighing myself. When I stopped weighing myself, or taking body measurements, the slide began and I was in denial. Its important to weight at least from time to time to know where you're at and catch a slide early
5) giving up. NEVER give up - getting the weight off is soooo worth it. i'm loving it.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sunday, December 24, 2006, 12:23 AM

Giving yourself a "free day" and turning it into an all-day binge fest does not work.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006, 4:33 PM

What will never work for me

This is a great idea for a thread. I am new here, but have another thought to add to all the great posts above.

A diet that does not include actual meals will not work for me. a liquid meal, such as slimfast, does not count. I did not chew, and I CANNOT make my body accept the fact that I have had a meal, I end up chewing something anyway, and then the drink is just extra calories. Same thing with snacking when I am alone and do not have to cook a meal for anyone. I have not had a "meal" so those snacks do not matter, so far as my body and mind are concerned. I end up ingesting so much more when I do not take the trouble to make myself a regular meal.

Making myself eat breakfast works, even when I do not want it. I do not gorge later, or have concentration issues. My energy is higher. I am not a natural breakfast eater, so I struggle with this. Maria

Thursday, December 28, 2006, 10:29 AM

Skipping breakfast and going as long as you can without eating to reduce your calories for the day. You only end up binging.